Midday Moon, Midnight Sun
by Romula Linders
Summary: Two people who love Serenity the most come to realize the love they have for each other.
1. Chapter 1

**Midday Moon, Midnight Sun**

**"...You are my midday moon and ****I your midnight sun."**

**--Heather Alexander**

**I'm back with a vengence gang! grins I will be reuploading and tweaking my original works in progress and I will**

**also be working on new stuff. I have been out of touch because my life has been amazingly busy and chaotic but I'm ready to write again! Yay! Anyways to all my old readers and new...Thank you. **

**DEDICATION: To Joss Whedon. No Contest.**

**Obviously I dont own the Firefly 'verse. I just like to play. **

Chapter One: Of Oranges and Disturbing Thoughts.

"Hey Cap'n." Kaylee and her megawatt smile came into the dining area and plopped down into her favorite chair; the one directly across from Mal.

"Shouldn't you be holed up in the engine room asleep?" he grunted. "It's the middle of the gorram night.

Well used to the gruff inflection in her voice, she just smiled her blinding smile and said: "Sometime's I like to walk around Serenity at night. When there ain't any distractions you can hear how's she's feelin."

He quirked an eyebrow at her. "And how's she doin Kaylee?"

A self-satisfied look came across the mechanic's face. "She's hummin like a satisfied woman Cap'n."

Well used to Kaylee's analogies he didn't even raise an eyebrow. "Good to hear."

Kaylee picked up a fresh orange from the fruit bowl and slowly peeled it, her eyes glowing. Fresh fruit was so hard to come by in the black, that she always made it a point to enjoy the treat to her fullest.

Mal didn't think he would ever see anyone enjoy fresh fruit the way Kaylee did. She enjoyed it with every fiber of her being. He also thought he might rather like to be that orange and quickly put the brakes on that train. It was too disturbing. He filed it away with the other disturbing thoughts that he had been having about his genius mechanic lately. He shook his head slightly to clear it, and reached for an orange as well.

"What are you doin up Kaylee?"

"Same as you Cap'n. Couldn't sleep."

"Why?"

"Inner clock. It's peaceful. It's just me and Serenity. She tells me thanks or she tells me where she's hurtin. Or she just hums, tellin me she's satisfied." She looked at him shyly, almost expecting him to laugh or raise his eyebrow at her, though she knew that he understood because he loved the ship as much as she did. His small smile said it all. She tried very hard to ignore the sudden rush of warmth that spread through her and concentrated on her orange, peeling the sections carefully apart.

A comfortable silence settled between the two. The only sound heard was the soothing hum of Serenity as she cruised along.

An unsettling thought occured to Mal as he glanced at Kaylee. "How come I've never seen you walkin around? I've seen the Albatross around a couple of times but not you.

She paused midway through peeling her orange slices apart. "Mostly stay in the engine room or the cargo bay. Sit on the catwalk sometimes and jus listen to her. Seen you a couple of times jus sittin here." She added the last part almost sheepishly.

His gaze sharpened at that. "You sure learnin to sneak around here all quiet like." He felt an odd sense of self-rightousness when Kaylee blushed.

"Not sneakin Cap'n. Just didn't want to disturb ya."

"What changed your mind tonight?" It came out harsher than he intended and he immediately regretted it when he saw her stiffen slightly and a slightly hurt look come to her eyes.

Before he could think, he reached across the table and grabbed her hand, trying very very hard to ignore the tingle that shot up his arm. A tingle that had not been there before.

"I'm sorry Kaylee. You know you can sit with me. Don't feel like you can't." The words came out more fervored than normal and he just hoped she didn't notice. ::What is wrong with me?::

There was that smile again. That smile that put the stars to shame. "I know I can. And it's fine Cap'n."

He said nothing and ducked his head to hide the small smile that wanted to become a bigger one...


	2. Chapter 2

**Midday Moon, Midnight Sun**

**"The greatest thing you will ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."**

**---Moulin Rouge**

**Welcome to Chapter TWO!!!! Muahhahahahahaha! Seriously I hope you enjoy my foray into the firefly **

**verse. I love Kaylee and Mal! Particularly since I have my very own Malcolm Reynolds!**

**DEDICATION: Nathan Fillion. Cause simply put, the man can do ANYTHING.**

Chapter Two: Refusing To Realize

Mal was already at the table with River when Kaylee walked in the next morning with Inara and Simon. She tried to ignore the slight jealous pang when Inara took her usual seat next to Mal. Of course Inara would sit next to Mal. Inara _always _sat next to Mal. Simon sat next to Inara and as expected, Kaylee took her seat between Simon and River.

The group was joined a few minutes later by a rather tousled looking Zoe and Wash and a rather disgruntled Jayne. Book came in after looking as though he had been up for hours. Which was usual for the Shepherd.

Mal was only partly paying attention to the conversation going on around him. Even after Kaylee had gone to bed he had stayed up, thinking. And he hadn't liked where his thoughts were headed. This strengthening of feeling towards his genius mechanic was decidedly not what he needed. He generally didn't hold too well with any member of his crew fraternizing and here he was thinking that if she smiled at him like she kept doing from across the table that he would very much like to fraternize with her.

_She's a child gorram it. You're just a cynical, broken old man._ Inner Mal could be a prick when he wanted to, but the ruthless inner voice served to put the breaks on his disturbing thoughts, and breakfast went on as usual. Except for two of Serenity's crew, and one very curious party.

River watched with interest the new interaction between the mechanic and her captain. She had caught the cross current of thoughts that the two seemed to be trying to toss aside but to the young woman it seemed they might as well be shouting their feelings out loud. She smiled as she caught Mal's last thought.

"Not a child." She said, and Mal's head whipped in her direction, the blue eyes narrowing with suspician.

"No one is saying you're a child River." Simon said in his ever gentle and ever annoying way. She shot her brother a Look, then turned back to Mal. "Not a child." She repeated.

"Mei mei…"

Frustrated that no one was understanding her, River grew agitated. "Have to look. Have to see. The light is shining and you close your eyes to it."

"Now look here Doc get the girl under control." Mal snapped.

"Mei mei…"

"River, hey it's okay." Kaylee pulled River to her in a hug, but the slender girl pushed away quickly.

There was a hush around the table as River slipped her hand under Kaylee's chin and looked at her for a minute. "The light shines brighter than all the stars put together." With a small knowing smile, River turned and walked from the dining room.

"Well it don't feel like a new day with out our daily dose of crazy." Said Jayne and began to eat with renewed gusto. Simon flipped him a rude hand gesture and that seemed to break the tension as everyone began to eat again.

Kaylee picked up her fork and tried to shake off the uncomfortable feeling that River had given her and tried not to look over to where Inara was running her hand up and down Mal's back in a soothing motion. As for Mal himself, Kaylee had seen the rigid set of his features as River had talked. He was angry, and she waited with baited breath for the explosion that was sure to come.

She almost missed it, as it was small by the standards of Malcolm Reynolds but it came none the less. He pushed his chair back with such force that the chair fell back. With not so much as a word he turned and left the dining room, leaving the rest of them to stare in confusion.


	3. Chapter 3

**Midday Moon, Midnight Sun **

**Chapter Three: The First Clue.**

**"You haven't the first idea how unforgiving this universe has become and I will not **

**allow you to learn at my expense."**

**--Tyr Anasazi**

**A/N hey all I finally have chappie three cause Ive written it in between doing stuff at work. I hope you all enjoy it!**

**Dedication: To Manda because she reads my fanfiction! and because I love her. **

**OOOOOO**

She hadn't seen him since what she had come to term as the infamous breakfast. That was two weeks ago. She had waited for him every night since and by the end of the two week mark exhaustion claimed her and she rested her head on the heavy wooden table and was asleep within minutes. That was how Mal found her.

OOOOOOO

Mal was getting clausterphobic from spending sleepless nights in his cabin and decided that he had had enough of avoiding the rest of his crew. He ignored the part of his brain that said he was tired of avoiding a certain genius mechanic and prepared to drink said genius mechanic out of his head when he walked in the dining area and saw her sleeping, her head pillowed on her arms and her golden brown hair partially obscuring his face.

A little piece of his soul was lost to her at the sight, and he walked over and sat down next to her, contemplating what, if anything, he should do next. She chose that moment to open her eyes.

He started. "Hey." He said lamely.

Surprise flickered briefly before a sleepy (though no less warm) smile spread across her face.

"Heya Cap'n."

"What are you doing here Little Kaylee?" She winced at the sound of the usually welcome endearment and hoped he didn't notice.

"Couldn't sleep," she replied out of habit. He cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Seems to me you were sleepin just fine."

She ducked her head to hide her blush.

Kaylee blushing? Mal felt a chuckle rise in his throat but refrained from letting it escape. Captains did _not_ chuckle. Especially in front of their cute mechanics.

"Cap'n?" her voice seemed hesitant.

"Yeah?" Caution.

"You stormed off mighty quick the other day at breakfast. Me and everyone were just wonderin if you're okay. You haven't been yourself."

He stiffened visibly and Kaylee brushed aside the hurt that accompanied his gesture.

"Don't go worryin your head over it Little Kaylee. Just had some stuff to work through."

_Didn't do one bit of good either. _He thought bitterly.

"And, did you work through it?" She didn't know what had prompted her to ask such a forward question and regretted it the moment it came out of her mouth, especially when he looked her dead in the eyes with a look she'd never seen before.

"Yes" he said and crushed his lips to hers and a kiss that shook them both.

OOOOOOO

On separate parts of the ship two people awoke at the same time, breathing shallow and hearts beating as though they'd run a marathon.


End file.
